Data storage libraries, and more particularly tape libraries having mobile tape cassette media, are typically used to store and retrieve large amounts of data for archiving purposes. Tape libraries are generally comprised of drive systems adapted to read and write data to and from tapes often housed within the tape libraries. In some instances, tapes are archived at locations within the library or, alternatively, moved out of the library for safe keeping. However, due to a gain in momentum in disc drive technology, innovations including mobile disc drive magazines assembled from multiple disc drives operating together as a cooperative media article are poised for introduction in the market place. New library devices adapted to operate with multiple mobile disc drive magazines are one example of the products poised to take advantage of this new technology.
Mobile disc drive magazines have many of the advantages enjoyed by tape cassettes including the ability to be archived in remote locations relative to the magazine based libraries. Other advantages of disc drive magazines include the random access memory capabilities inherent in disc drives, providing superior data access over the slow linear data access of tape cassettes. Due to the mobility of disc drive magazines and the potential mobility of their components, i.e. the disc drives, identification schemes for identifying magazines and components are desirable.
In an effort to provide a mobile media identification system for use with a storage device, both methods and apparatuses are proposed herein. It is to innovations related to this subject matter that the claimed invention is generally directed.